Joba Chamberlain Will Not Be With New York Yankees in 2014

By James O'Hare

Bob DiChiara-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Yankees are officially eliminated from playoff contention. They have already honored Mariano Rivera, and although Andy Pettitte has one more start, he too has been given a sendoff from the franchise with which he made his career. This means Yankees fans should get ready to see some unfamiliar faces, because their last series of 2013, a three-game set against the Houston Astros, is essentially a tryout for 2014.

Rookies like David Adams, J.R. Murphy and Zoilo Almonte, as well as veteran free agents like Joba Chamberlain, have three more games to prove their worth. But while the first three have a legitimate chance to suit up in pinstripes next year, the only way Chamberlain will be playing in the Bronx in 2014 is as member of the visiting team.

Chamberlain has been leaving pitches over the heart of the plate all season. He has a career high 4.97 ERA and has allowed runs to score in five of his last seven outings. The bottom line is that he has hurt the Yankees coming out of the pen all year. It’s unfortunate that Chamberlain’s career with the Yankees will end on a sour note because he came up with more hype than the new movie “The Lone Ranger” … and delivered about as much as “The Lone Ranger.”

Along with Ian Kennedy and Phil Hughes, Chamberlain was supposed to be the future of the Yankees’ pitching staff. Instead, Kennedy has been a 20-game winner in the NL and Hughes is likely joining Chamberlain as a soon-to-be ex-Yankee.

There are so many question marks in the Yankees pitching staff next year that I might even apply for the job, but one thing is certain – Joba Chamberlain will not be a member of the New York Yankees in 2014.